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Blood pressure rises when phone rings

Pitt says political calls enforce fallacy of ‘no call’ law

Roger Pitt
Roger Pitt

By Roger Pitt


My blood pressure rises when the phone at Pitt Acres rings, the odds are it is another of the “no call” nuisance violators of a law by that name.

Readers of this column know that during the decade it has been in this paper, “no call” has been a cause of the writer, but has too many free passes. The most egregious involves calls of a political nature.

Politicians removing themselves from the exemptions to the “no call” list would validate its legitimacy and more than a Trojan Horse of privilege.

Despite being prohibited, routine nuisance calls come from a variety of charitable organizations, businesses, groups with an agenda, etc.

Many calls are about causes I have supported for years.

My usual response, “I don’t take these kinds of calls,” is usually enough, but if the caller persists, the phone is slammed down and often followed by an unprintable outburst.

Sometimes a call is enticing enough to get a nibble, before swallowing the hook, I ask, “What are you selling?” The caller usually immediately denies selling anything and continues to recite the sales pitch.

“Then why are you bugging me?” is followed by a quick slamming of the phone.

Robo-calls are usually hung up immediately, with another slamming of the phone.

One of the calls last week was of a political variety, which of course, those writing the no-call rules exempted themselves both in the state and federal bills.

This is a penalty we pay as a prelude to every election to fill key positions for state and federal positions. The length of those elections get longer and longer, with the current race to be a presidential candidate testing the patience and endurance of voters.

It was the second political call, the first about two weeks earlier that was immediately hung up.

Getting rid of the second call was not as easy. Hanging up was immediately followed with a ring, a second hang up by several rings. The robo-call message continued its spiel through it all.

My friend Jim, on reading this column, said his wife had the same experience, also hanging up, getting a call back and finally just placed the phone down and finally hung it up for good once it was done.

I did not time it, but these calls are a waste by candidates seeking my vote.

It is more likely to cost them a vote, an option exercised once in a U.S. senate election.

I routinely get a weekly call from a pain center stating a family member had reported somebody in need for that service. After detailing the service (c
uriosity got this cat) it delivered the punch line, “these braces are eligible for Medicare and your insurance.”

The pain I get from this ad, and no call violators, is in a place where they have not designed a brace to fit as it is all flesh.

Medicare and my supplemental insurance would not cover that, but slamming the phone down again, does relieve my anger and frustration of another “no call” call.

END NOTE: Aug. 1, 2014, Registration on the Wisconsin Do Not Call Registry became permanent and automatically transferred to the federal list. Wisconsin’s Bureau of Consumer Protection works to enforce the law and warns if your number is in the registry, unsolicited sales calls are probably fraudulent. To check if you are on the registry phone: 1-888-382-1222.

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